The present disclosure relates to search query clarification.
Internet search engines aim to identify resources (e.g., web pages, images, text documents, processes, multimedia content) that are relevant to a user's needs and to present information about the resources in a manner that is most useful to the user. In response to a query submitted by a user, search engines return search results referring to resources identified as relevant to or matching the query. Unfortunately, a user submitted query may include terms that do not align well with the intentions of the user, for example, if there is ambiguity in the meaning of the query terms, or the term might not convey full intent of the user. Even if the search results returned are relevant objectively to the user submitted query, the results may not be relevant to or may be broader or narrower than the user's subjective needs. If a user is dissatisfied with the search results returned for a query, the user can attempt to refine the original query to better match the user's needs.